Chapter 8.docx

CHAPTER 8:
LIVING ALONE, COHABITING, SAME-SEX UNIONS AND OTHER INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS
REASONS FOR THE INCREASING PROPORTION OF UNMARRIEDS
Demographic, Economic, and Technological Changes
1. one reason for the growing proportion of singles is demographic, or related to
population numbers; a high rate of heterosexual marriage presumes that there are
matching numbers of marriage-age males and females in the population
sex ratio: the number of men to women in a given society or subgroup
influences marital options and singlehood
it changes overtime in U.S. it was more men but as of 2007 its more
women (sex ratio is lower for blacks and Native Americans)
2. economic factors have increased the proportion of nonmarrieds
expanded educational and career options for college-educated women over the
past several decades have encouraged many of them to postpone marriage, and
some see it as a bad bargain after securing financial and sexual independence
3. technological changes over the past 60 years have affected the proportion of singles
birth control pills, improved contraception has contributed to the decision to
delay or forego marriage and with effective contraception, sexual relationships
outside marriage and without great risk of unwanted pregnancy became possible
Cultural Changes
o new life cycle stage called emerging adulthood: Young people today spend more time in
higher education and/or exploring options regarding work, career, and family making
than in the past
o several other cultural changes over the past few decades also account for the growing
proportion of unmarrieds
1. attitudes toward nonmarital sex have changed dramatically over past decades
2. American cultures gives greater weight to personal autonomy, many find that at
least for now singlehoods more desirable than marriage
as more young adults choose to claim independence simply by moving, marriage
has lost its monopoly as the way to claim adulthood
cohabitation is emerging as a socially accepted alternative to marriage
marriage has become less strongly defined as permanent, and high divorce rates
have led at some singles to fear a potential divorce of their own
o much of the increase in singlehood results from
1. low sex ratios, particularly in certain regions and among specific age and
racial/ethnic groups
2. increasing educational and economic options for some, coupled with growing
financial disadvantage for others
3. technological changes regarding pregnancy
4. changing cultural attitudes toward marriage and singlehood: greater acceptance of
premarital sex and emphasis on personal autonomy, development of singlehood and
cohabitation as acceptable lifestyles, marriage having lost its monopoly as a way to
claim adulthood, and the diminished permanence of marriage SINGLES THEIR VARIOUS LIVING ARRANGEMENTS
Living Alone
o the number of one-person households has increased dramatically over past decades
individuals living alone now make up over 28% of U.S. households vs. 8% in 1940
Living Alone Together
o an emerging lifestyle choice is living alone together here a couple is engaged in a long-
term relationship, but each partner also maintains a separate dwelling
Living with Parents
o a large proportion of young adults today are living with one or both parents
o some adults who live with their parents have never moved out, but others (called
boomerangers) have left home and then returned (economic reasons, are a primary
reason)
Group or Communal Living
o groups of single adults and perhaps children may live often these are simple
roommate arrangements
o Communes that is, situations or places characterized by group living, have existed in
American society throughout its history and have widely varied in their structure and
family arrangements
o living communally has declined in the U.S. since its highly visible status in the 1960s,
when many communes were established as ideological retreats from what their
founders saw as the misguided American life characteristics of 1950s
o communal living, either in single houses or in co-housing complexes that combine
private areas with communal kitchens and family rooms, may be one way to cope
with some of the problems of aging, unattached singlehood, or single parenthood
o its designed to provide enhanced opportunities for social support and companionship
COHABITATION AND FAMILY LIFE
o Cohabitation: or nonmarrieds living together, gained widespread acceptance over the
past several decades and is widely as one of the most important changes in family life in
the past 40 years, dramatically altering the marital life course by offering a prelude to or
a replacement for marriage
Cohabitation as an Acceptable Living Arrangement
o cohabitation is very much a family status, but one in which the level of certainty about
commitment are less than in marriage
o Kiernan has described a society-wide, four-stage process through which cohabitation
becomes a socially acceptable living arrangement, equal in status to marriage
1. in the first stage, the vast majority of heterosexuals marry without living together
first
2. in the second stage, more people live together but mainly as a form of courtship
before marriage, and almost all of them marry with pregnancy3. in the third stage, cohabitating becomes a socially acceptable alternative to
marriage
4. in the fourth stage, cohabitation and marriage become virtually indistinguishable,
both socially and legally
in this stage, the numbers of married and cohabiting couples are about
equal, and a cohabiting couple may have several children
Cohabitation as an Alternative to Unattached Singlehood and to Marriage
o accounts on how cohabitation begins suggest that cohabiting does not always result
from a well-considered decision
o some cohabitants view living together as an alternative to dating or unattached
singlehood
o Arnett has dubbed those who live together as an alternative to being single
uncommitted cohabitators
o other cohabitors view living together as an alternative to marriage as they construct
their own definitions of commitment, we can think of these couples as committed
cohabitors
o peoples reasons for living together as an alternative to marrying often include the belief
that marriage signifies loss of identity or stifles partners equality and communication
The Cohabitating Relationship
o as a category, cohabiting couples differ from married couples in several ways
1. cohabitors are less homogamous, or alike in social characteristics, than are marrieds
2. cohabiting couples are about twice as likely as marrieds to be interracial
3. compared with married women, co